Max Verstappen started the Mexico City Grand Prix in the usual fashion as the man in form took the lead at turn 1. He overcame the resistance shown by the Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz and took a hefty lead by Lap 34 until Kevin Magnussen crashed.
The crash disrupted the race as the Haas driver lost control of his car and rammed the barrier at high speed. This brought an immediate yellow flag and from there on the red flag to neutralize the race. As the reg flag was called, Verstappen questioned the stewards’ move with an unsatisfactory voice on the radio.
Lap 21: Max has pitted for hards 🛞 he’s come back out in 7th pic.twitter.com/L7ik23c49l
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) October 29, 2023
According to RaceFans, the three-time world champion said on the radio as he pulled up on the paddock, “That’s a joke. Red flag for what? I saw the car was a bit on fire, but it’s already all cleared.” Admittedly, there are enough reasons for the Dutchman to be angry.
The Red flag cancelled the gap that the defending champion made by all 34 laps. Furthermore, it also jeopardized the tire strategy by Red Bull as they brought Verstappen early to cancel out extra time. The Red flag also allowed rivals to change their tires with no time loss.
How did other drivers react to the crash?
As Kevin Magnussen had a huge shunt, all the other drivers had a question to ask on the radio and it was if the Haas driver was alright. However, Lewis Hamilton was one step ahead of everyone else as he put his verdict that the FIA should put a red flag on the race after the crash.
LAP 34/71
Lots of debris on the track and damage to the barriers following that Magnussen crash
🔴 RED FLAG 🔴#F1 #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/JpeqwrZomx
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 29, 2023
This has been one of the biggest crashes for both Magnussen and Haas this season. A crash similar to this magnitude was seen last season by Mick Schumacher in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as well as in the Monaco Grand Prix which saw the American team count millions of dollars as expense.
Nevertheless, the Danish driver came out of the car in the nick of time and went through a thorough medical check-up. The cars filed up in the paddock after the Red flag and there was a standing start to the race that saw Max Verstappen lead the race again against Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton into turn 1.
